Kango It’s been a busy week! On Sept. 21 Nic and I got a ride to a small town called Kango, about a 2 hour drive inland from the capital of Gabon, Libreville. Kango is located at the convergence of several rivers, and a couple years ago Nic and Tim photographed a manatee hunter there with a carcass. We were able to go back and […]
Leaving Mayumba My week here has flown and I wish I could stay longer! Below are a few more pics from my very nice stay here! The living & working quarters at Mayumba national parkJacquie & Simon on the boat Ant (short for Anthony!) with his barracuda Tim in his happy place.Pretty butterfly from the forest. Today I’m flying to Libreville, tomorrow Nick and I
Banio Lagoon Just returned from 2 days of surveying all the major rivers on this lagoon. Stayed in this wonderful house with lagoon on one side, beach on the other and savannah all around it. Ate a wonderful salad from the garden. One bummer- I walked out t o the beach and found alot of fresh oil. There are alot of oil rigs off the
Monday Today I’m heading to a remote camp today for 2 days… it’s actually a beautiful house on the lagoon with the ocean on the other side & a fresh veggie garden (a real luxury here). They say there’s a gorilla troop nearby that comes right up to the house in the morning, and forest elephants on the beach. I’ll be surveying a couple rivers
Juvenile Green Sea Turtle Yesterday a fisherman brought in a live sea turtle that had accidentally gotten caught in his net. Pictured at left is Solange Ngoouessono, the Gabonese manager of Mayumba national park, with Tim and the fisherman (in yellow). It’s great that he reported the turtle. Unfortunately it was covered in fibropapilloma tumors, which are now frequently seen in sea turtles worldwide. It
Nick and the former manatee hunter, Soami at a tower the EcoGuides have built for offshore observation. The beach off Mayumba. We saw buffalo tracks everywhere and there are lowland gorillas here too. Didn’t see one yet though- you’ll know when I do! Nick and I (with driver Papa) surveying a river where Soami tells us is best in the area for manatees. Unfortunately fallen
‘Mamiwata’ is an African name for a spirit believed to be embodied by the manatee. She’s a female and caprious spirit. When waters are high here during the rainy season they say Mamiwata is hungry (which is cool, because manatees enter flooded forests to feed during the rainy season). I’m hearing some stories here and will relay more soon….
Finally in Gabon!After 7 months of planning and 33 hours of travel, I arrived in Libreville, Gabon (the capital) about a week ago. On the way I had a 10 hour layover in Casablanca, Morocco and was able to see a bit of the city including a breath-taking mosque. The second largest mosque in the world. I spent 2 days in Libreville and then flew